Long Time, No Anything
by Polka Dot Jewel
Summary: -REUPLOADED- Duncan and Courtney had a rough breakup five years ago. Both meet up at a rehabilitation center, very surprised and wanting answers from their rough and unfortunate past.
1. New Place, Sort of New People

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Total Drama series or anything else copyrighted._

**A/N: Yeah, yeah... I should be updating this, but... I just got this good idea and I decided to switch things around. It won't be noticeable in this chapter, but in the upcoming ones, it will be. I hope you all still like this! **

Duncan sighed as he stared at the building in front of him. This certain building happened to be an addiction treatment center, and he was basically forced to go there. He knew he had to go there, but, being the stubborn man he was, he was not going to go there completely voluntary.

The building itself was only four stories tall. It was plain, white... boring, really. Though he didn't show it, the whole place gave him this uneasy feeling, and he absolutely hated it.

"Duncan, c'mon," his sister, Marie, persistently said. She was the one who saw what Duncan was suffering through, and almost forced him to go there.

He rolled his eyes and followed her inside. They stopped at the reception desk, which was empty for a few moments before what was presumably a nurse walked over to them, smiling lightly.

"Hello," she said. "May I help you?"

"Well, we're here to, uhh..." Marie paused for a moment before saying, "My brother is supposed to check-in here today."

The nurse nodded before typing something on the computer. "You must be Duncan Evans," she said, smiling at Duncan.

He nodded. "Yep." His sister shot him a glare, which he quickly returned. He wasn't trying to be rude, he just wasn't in the mood at say much.

"You're right on time," the nurse said, standing up. "I'll go grab Dr. Luther, our main supervisor, and he can formally check you in and show you around."

Duncan and Marie nodded, standing there for a few minutes before a man appeared before them. "Hello," he said, shaking their hands. "I'm Dr. Luther. Unfortunately, I have a last-minute meeting I must attend, but I have a few minutes to show you upstairs and your personal counselor. So, I hate to be incredibly rude, but if you two will say a quick good-bye..."

Duncan and Marie stared at each other before leaning forward, hugging each other. "Bye, sis," Duncan muttered.

Marie sighed. "You'll be fine, Duncan. I know this will help."

Duncan shrugged and let go of his sister. He grabbed his bag and gave his sister one final wave before turning to Dr. Luther. He followed the doctor down the hallway and into another lobby. There were a few other people there, some were pacing, some were sitting, doing various activities.

"This is our main patient lobby, where the patients come to relax for a while in between therapy, counseling, etc.," the doctor explained.

Duncan nodded. He looked around, a bored expression laying on his face. There weren't too many people around, and just by first glances, no one stood out to him just yet. "Cool."

"Ah, there's Dr. Smith," Dr. Luther said, smiling at the woman who stepped over to them.

She smiled at Duncan. "Hello, Mr. Evans, or would you rather be called Duncan?"

"Duncan's fine," Duncan said, shrugging.

"Well, glad to see you two already getting along," Dr. Luther said, chuckling lightly. "I must head off, but I will talk to you later, Duncan."

Duncan nodded as Dr. Luther walked off. He looked at Dr. Smith and asked, "So, where's my room?"

"Right this way," she said, walking off.

Duncan followed her into the elevator and went up two stories before stepping out. They walked down the hallway and to room 306. "Here is your room," she said, opening the door. He walked in and nodded. It was plain, with a desk, a couple of chairs, and two full-sized beds. Nothing too fancy, but not totally horrible. "You're one of the lucky few without a roommate," Dr. Smith informed him.

He nodded, surprised. He was expecting to have a crazy roommate, like the ones he saw on TV, and was glad to find out he didn't have one... yet.

"We're going to have to check your bags," Dr. Smith informed him. When he gave her a crazy what-are-you-thinking look, she smiled and said, "It's policy. Don't want you smuggling in bombs or anything illegal."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about that."

She shrugged. "I usually don't. Now, we're going to head back downstairs, and I'll show you your 'Introduction Buddy'..."

"What?" Duncan asked, utterly confused.

"They're going to show you around for the first few days," Dr. Smith informed him. "You'll see me either at personal or group sessions, though you'll probably find me while walking around here from time to time. We usually assign our new patients a buddy who's been around for a bit as a way to help new patients feel more comfortable with the place."

Duncan nodded. Maybe this person was going to be crazy... though, he'd rather have a crazy "buddy" than a crazy roommate. Roommates were there when you tried to sleep, and Duncan liked to sleep. He could totally walk away from this "buddy" if he wanted to.

They walked out of the elevator and down the hallway, over to another room. It was smaller, but was filled with payphones. A couple of people were in there, both talking quietly into the phones. Dr. Smith pointed to a girl on the right side of the room. "That's your buddy right there."

This "buddy" had medium-length chestnut brown hair. She was wearing a long-sleeved, moderately thick tan jacket. Her back was turned to him, so he couldn't see her face.

"Mmhmm," Duncan muttered, trying to ignore the weird feeling in his stomach. It's like his body wanted him to just walk over to that girl and see who she is.

"Let me go get her real quick," Dr. Smith said, walking away from him and over to that girl. He watched the girl as the doctor walked over to her. The doctor bent down slightly and talked to the girl, who nodded and finished her phone conversation. The girl turned to Dr. Smith, giving Duncan a good view of her face.

No fucking way... he thought to himself, his eyes widening. His eyes must have been playing tricks on him. His ex-girlfriend, the C.I.T., the Valedvictorian of her graduating class, Miss Perfection herself, couldn't have been there in this rehab center! He shook his head and sat down, rubbing his temples. He hadn't thought about her in quite some time, and figured this was just some girl that looked like his ex-girlfriend.

Oh, was he wrong.

Dr. Smith stepped out of the room, and immediately, he could hear a gasp a few feet away from him. He continued looking down, knowing that he was oh-so wrong.

"Duncan?" she asked. Her voice was quiet, wary, almost scared.

He let a small smile fall across his lips. "Hey, Courtney. Long time no... anything."


	2. Didn't Expect Any of This

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Total Drama series or anything else copyrighted._

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I'm glad you all still like it. And, like I mentioned, major changes won't happen for another few chapters... I'm just re-posting all of this to kinda refresh your memories. **

"No... no..."

Duncan wearily looked up and saw Courtney pacing in a small circle, her eyes wide, one hand grabbing the other arm. "What?"

"You can't be here!" she exclaimed, turning to him, frustrated. "You just... why?"

He glared at her, giving her a dirty look. "Look, sweetheart, I didn't _ask _to be here, okay?" he snapped.

She sighed, pressing the bridge of her nose together with her thumb and forefinger. "I didn't mean to be so harsh," she sighed. "I just... I never expected to see you again."

He let out a sigh, leaning back in his chair. He shrugged and stared ahead. "I'm surprised to see you here, too."

"You're not the only one," Courtney murmured, sitting down next to him.

"Why are you here?" he asked, looking over at her. His tone was genuine, inquisitive. He never expected to see Courtney in a rehabilitation center for people with all sorts of addictions. She used to be the straight-A student, the C.I.T., just... overall perfect.

She didn't respond for a few moments, but he could see that she was thinking hard about what to say. "You'll find out today. I..."

"No worries," he said, shrugging. "Group therapy will be fun."

She rolled her eyes and looked at him. "What are you here for?"

He smirked and looked at her. "An eye for an eye, Princess. If you're not telling me, I'm surely not telling you."

She rolled her eyes, also smirking. "I should've figured you would say that."

He shrugged. "I will tell you me coming here wasn't my choice. Marie made me come here."

"She must have been real worried," Courtney murmured, looking down.

He glanced over at her. "Did you come here by choice?" he softly asked.

She blinked a couple of times, remaining silent. She was about to respond when Dr. Smith stepped in the doorway, "I see you two haven't left the room..."

"We're old friends," Duncan told the doctor. "We're just catching up a bit."

Courtney let out a quiet laugh as Dr. Smith smiled. "Well, I didn't realize you two knew each other. I'm glad you two are together here, then. We're about to start group therapy, so if you two will join us..."

"So what kind of nutjobs are in our group?" Duncan quietly whispered in Courtney's ear as they followed Dr. Smith down the hallway.

Courtney rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the sensation that suddenly flowed through her body as Duncan whispered into her ear. "They're nice people, Duncan. There's all sorts of people in our group, as you'll find out."

Duncan nodded as they stepped into another small lobby-like place. There were at least eight other people sitting in chairs, the group forming a circle in the middle of the room. Duncan and Courtney sat next to each other, and Dr. Smith sat across from them.

"Everyone, we have a new member joining us today," Dr. Smith said. "Everyone, meet Duncan."

"Hi, Duncan," everyone replied, looking at Duncan. He nodded, looking around at each of them.

"Today, we're going to let Duncan introduce himself to us, and then you're all going to tell a little bit about yourselves to him," Dr. Smith explained. "Talk a little bit about why you're here, and then maybe talk about some other things." She smiled at Duncan and said, "So, Duncan, if you'll start..."

He looked at everyone, sheepishly smiling. "Um, hey, I'm Duncan Evans... just call me Duncan. My sister forced me to come here... well, my brothers and parents kinda did, too... said I'm an alcoholic... whatever. I've lived in Hamilton my whole life. It's about an hour away from here." He shrugged and looked at Dr. Smith and said, "That's it, I guess."

Dr. Smith smiled, nodding. "Good. We'll just go in a circle, so you can pick either Courtney or Alex to go next."

Duncan wanted to pick Courtney, but chose not to after glancing over at her. She had this look on her face, like she was concerned, like she really didn't want to be there or say anything. It was almost like he felt bad for her. "Alex, I guess."

One after the other, each person told a little bit about themselves. Some were more talkative than others. Each were from different places, from British Columbia to Montreal to Winnipeg to even New York state. Dr. Smith was a former crack addict, and had been working in the hospital since her stay there many years ago. A while later, it was finally Courtney's turn.

"I'm Courtney," she said, smiling slightly. She gestured to Duncan and said, "We actually knew each other years ago, so it's kinda funny to see him here..." A few of the group members laughed, others smiled. Duncan smirked, knowing she wasn't about to get into more personal details, such as how they once dated and that they met on Total Drama Island. He figured a few people knew about those details, though. It was a very popular show, and they were quite the "item".

She let out a tiny, quiet laugh before saying, "To put it in simple terms, I'm here because... well, I'm completely overstressed and I don't know how to handle that. That, and I hurt myself."

That sentence hit Duncan like a thousand bricks. He didn't say anything, and didn't really move much except for his eyes, which widened. Courtney didn't say anything after that. Dr. Smith started talking about upcoming activities and such, but Duncan wasn't paying attention.

Courtney was stressed out?

Well, she was quite the worker. She joined many clubs and did a plenteous amount of activities in high school, and did the same thing in college.

Courtney was a cutter?

Why would she cut? She's 28 years old! Wasn't cutting something emo teenagers did?

Well, he assumed she cut. He couldn't really imagining hurting herself otherwise.

These questions continued flowing through Duncan's head as the meeting ended. He sighed and stood up. He talked to a few of the other group members but decided to just walk off. This was all too much for Duncan to handle. He never expected any of this out of Courtney. He leaned against the back of the elevator as it ascended upwards. He got off the elevator and walked out. He was surprised to find Courtney walking down the hallway.

"Courtney?" he softly asked.

She stopped and turned around. They stared at each other for a few moments, trying to read each other. Courtney had a simple smile on her face, yet Duncan's was worried, concerned, and mostly confused. "I bet you have a lot of questions, huh?" she softly asked. He nodded. She nodded and said, "Well, come in my room. We can talk for a little bit."

He nodded and walked over to her. She opened her door and walked in, him following her. Her room looked like his, except hers was a bit more decorated. There were a few pictures floating around, as well as some books, mostly laying on her desk. They sat down on the couch in her room and sat there in silence for a few moments.

Duncan finally asked, "Why?"

She sighed. "There's a lot more to my problems than just classifying me as an 'overstressed cutter'. I'm clinically depressed, that's why I cut, and I'm depressed and stressed because I overwork. I'm also underweight, not because I'm anorexic, but when you do much, you just forget about nutrition and such..."

"How?" he asked, looking over at her.

She pursed her lips for a moment. "That's something I still haven't fully figured out. A lot happened in the past five years, Duncan."

"We've got the time," he muttered, trying to smile and make a joke out of it, but couldn't.

She nodded, smiling sadly and softly. "True." She sighed. "Let's just say I rushed into another relationship, and that didn't end so greatly, and then the responsibilities of life came too suddenly and overwhelmingly, and... you get the gist."

"How long were you in that relationship?"

She thought about it for a minute. "Almost three years. We've been separated for about two years."

Separated? "Were you two married?"

She nodded, her eyes and facial expression sad. "Yeah, for over two years. I, uhh..." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "We basically had a shotgun wedding," she admitted quietly.

"You have a kid?" All this new information was making Duncan overwhelmed.

She nodded, the brightness returning somewhat to her face. "Yeah, Mike. He's over four years old." She sadly laughed and shrugged, muttering, "He was the only good thing to come out that relationship..." She sighed and shook her head. "And I let him down..."

"I'm sure he understands why you're here..." Duncan said, unsure and apprehensive.

Courtney snorted. "Yeah, right. You should've seen his face." She shook her head. "It was so upsetting. 'Mommy, why are you leaving?'" She sighed, tears filling her eyes. "I just told him I was sick, and that I needed to go to the hospital for a while. He was devastated when I told him he couldn't visit me all the time... he was crying and I..." She covered her head with her hands.

Duncan frowned, staring sadly at her. He could hear her sniffing, instantly realizing she was crying. He began to softly rub her back, but could soon feel her body shaking. He leaned over and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sure his Father explained it more to him..."

"Tony pretty much forced me to come down here," Courtney muttered. She sighed, wiping away her tears. "I passed out one day at my apartment. Thankfully Mike knows how to use the phone, and knew Tony's number. That's when he found out about all my 'problems', as he put it. We had joint custody then, but after that..." She shook her head, wiping away more tears. "He said that either I would get help, or that he would fight for sole custody of Mike."

Duncan felt himself getting angry at this Tony guy. Tony obviously knew how much Mike meant to Courtney, and he obviously knew how to pull her strings, too. Courtney was smart enough to realize that Tony wasn't messing around, either. "How long have you been here?"

"Four weeks."

"Have you seen Mike?"

She shook her head before shrugging and telling him, "He's coming tomorrow, actually."

Duncan nodded and continued holding on to her. She turned slightly and wrapped her arms around him. They stayed in that position for a while, not saying anything as they held onto each other.


	3. Simple Chatter

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Total Drama series or anything else copyrighted._

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Nothing was changed TOO much in this chapter... just a few words here and there... but the next one... now, that one will have some major changes, ones previous readers will be able to pick up quick. Keep the reviews coming!**_  
_

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Duncan grumbled in his sleep. He didn't realize people were awoken each morning, instead of letting the patients wake up as they please. He tiredly sat up, cracked his arms and back, and slowly paddled over to the door, not even bothering to put on a shirt or a proper pair of pants. He opened the door, and was surprised to find Courtney in the doorway. He yawned and muttered, "What time is it?"

"Around ten," she told him, smiling. "I guess I woke you up, huh?"

He tiredly nodded. "So, what are we doing?"

"Well, I figured I would show you around, since I never got around to doing that yesterday."

He nodded and opened the door even more. "Come on in, let me put on some clothes..."

"Well..."

He laughed. "It's nothing you haven't seen before. Well, sure, I got a few new muscles..."

She laughed as she stepped in his room. It was like hers when she first moved into her room; plain and simple. It seemed like he hadn't brought any of his personal belongings to "liven" the room a bit, but then again, maybe he just didn't unpack everything.

"Whatcha thinkin' about, Princess?" Duncan asked, plopping down next to her.

Oh, how she missed that nickname. Her ex-husband, Tony, tried calling her that once, but she told him to never call her that. She never told him why, but it always reminded her of Duncan, and back then, she didn't want to think about him. She smiled softly as she looked over at him. He was wearing a black t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and some black sneakers. "Your room is plain."

He snorted. "I like it this way. I don't wanna spruce it up too much. This isn't my home."

She nodded. "Good point. Are you hungry?"

He shrugged. "A little bit."

She stood up and said, "Well, let's head over to the cafeteria. I'm a bit hungry."

He nodded and stood up, following her out of his room. She was a bit skinnier than she was years ago, but he knew why she was like that. She was wearing that same jacket again, and underneath, some sort of sweater, a pair of jeans, and a pair of white sneakers. Plain, but he knew that's how Courtney was... well, back when they were dating and actually talking to each other.

"You're quiet," Courtney observed, smiling as they stepped into the elevator. "What are you thinking about?"

"You look nice," Duncan softly said, giving her a tiny smile.

She giggled. "Thank you. You don't look half bad yourself." She then reached up, and rubbed his head softly. "When did you get rid of the mohawk?"

He shrugged. "A few years ago. My job told me, 'We'll hire you, only if you get rid of the mohawk'. So I did."

"Where do you work at?" she asked, stepping out of the elevator.

"Oh, just some local office," he said, shrugging. "I'm kinda like a secretary... I guess... I kinda answer calls, sometimes run errands for other people.."

She let out a laugh. "Funny. We've got similar jobs. I am a secretary, but at a law firm."

He nodded. "At least you're working in the law business."

She shrugged and stepped out of the elevator. "Well, you know this room," she said. It was the main relaxing room, and there were a lot more people in there today. She said "hello" to a few people, and introduced them to Duncan.

"Why are there only so many people in our little group session?" he asked Courtney as they walked into the cafeteria.

"That's not really our main group," she explained to him. "It's just a little thing to introduce us to other people here... I guess. Since you're here for alcoholism, you'll probably start going to those meetings either today or tomorrow. I know those people from other group sessions I attend."

"How many do you go to?"

She thought for a moment. "Just two regularly, and then I also attend stress and health management classes."

He nodded. "Fun."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, well, it's like a buffet kinda thing here, so just pick whatever food you want..."

"What are you getting?" he asked, grabbing a plate.

"Just some cereal," she asked. When he raised an eyebrow, she said, "I woke up earlier and had a muffin. I figured we could have breakfast together."

He smirked. "I see you can't stop thinking of me."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, Duncan. You keep telling yourself that."

"I will."

He ended up getting eggs, bacon, and waffles. After she got her cereal, they sat down together at a table. They sat down in silence for a few moments before Duncan asked, "When's Mike getting here?"

She smiled softly before saying, "Around noon. We'll be going out for lunch, and then Mike will be here for a few hours..."

He nodded. "You brought a car here?"

She shook her head. "No. Tony wouldn't let me..."

"But you two aren't married," Duncan quickly interjected, frowning, slightly angry.

"And I agreed with him," Courtney said, her facial expression daring him to say something like that again. "I'm a voluntary patient. I wasn't forced here by anyone. True, Tony threatened to take Mike away from me, but neither him, my family, my friends, or even this hospital dragged me here. I came here on my own terms. I don't have a car here because, well..." She laughed. "I needed to get the brakes fixed. I'd rather spend the money on this program than getting my brakes fixed... for now. I'll get them fixed whenever I'm done with here."

"And when will that be?" Duncan asked.

Courtney shrugged. "I don't know. I'm hoping to get out of here within a year."

"You think you'll be here for that long?" he asked, surprised.

She shrugged, almost defeated. "I'm pretty messed up, Duncan," she admitted quietly, looking down.

He sighed, running a hand over his face. "Look, Courtney, I didn't mean to upset you..."

She shook her head, sighing. "I know you didn't. It's just..." She sighed, shrugging. "I never expected to be here, y'know? It's like, where did it go wrong?" She laughed softly. "And then you show up..."

He smirked. "I'm gonna rock your world, babe."

She giggled, blushing slightly. "You are the same Duncan, from all those years ago."

He shrugged. "Something like that. I've changed quite a bit, too, you know."

She nodded. "I guess you're not completely the same..." She halfheartedly smirked, leaning back in her chair. "Look at us. We are eating breakfast at a rehabilitation center for addicts..."

He nodded. "Never would've thought of that."

She shook her head. "I know..." She sat up and placed her head on her hand, leaning on the table. "So, Duncan..."

He stared inquisitively at her. "Yes, sweetheart?"

She ignored the nickname and continued, "So, tell me about your life. What have you been doing all these years?"

"Hmm..." he began dramatically, causing her to roll her eyes. "Let's see... I got married three times. Got a few kids strolling around..." He began to laugh as she gave him a completely shocked look. "Your face is priceless, babe!"

She scoffed at him. "You were kidding?"

He nodded, still laughing. "You seriously believed me?"

"I'll admit, I wasn't sure what to think of that..."

He stopped laughing and shook his head. "Nah. Never got married. I had a few girlfriends, but nothing too serious..."

She nodded. "Been laying low, I guess?"

He shrugged. "Something like that, I guess," he muttered.

She pursed her lips slightly. She figured he wasn't telling her the complete truth, but wasn't going to pester him about it. He'd tell her everything on his own time... if he was going to even do that, anyway.

"You got any pictures of Mike?" Duncan asked, interrupting her from her thoughts.

She nodded. "Impatient about seeing my son, I see."

He shrugged, smirking. "I mean, you kinda showed me around the place, and we've got, what, about an hour before they arrive..."

She nodded and stood up. "Alright, let's go look at some pictures..." They grabbed their trays and put them down in their respective areas before walking out of the cafeteria. "That's the entrance to the back of the place, like the courtyard and such," she said, pointing at the door as they walked past it.

"Do you have a roommate?" he suddenly asked.

She shook her head, frowning slightly, as they stepped into the elevator. "Not anymore. She left last week."

He nodded, eying her closely. "Sounds like you two were pretty close."

She shrugged. "Kinda. She was nice and helped me out my first few weeks here."

"How long was she here?" he asked as they stepped out of the elevator.

She thought for a moment as they got to her room. "Six months, I think."

He nodded as he plopped down onto the couch. She opened her closet and dug around for a second before getting out a small box. She walked over and sat down next to Duncan. She opened the box and looked through the photos before handing him some.

He smiled at them. The first couple were of her while she was pregnant. She wasn't exposing herself at all, but instead the pictures were of her just standing around, wearing moderately casual clothing. "You look nice here," he murmured softly.

She smiled. "Thanks."

He looked through more as she handed them to him. Mike was an adorable kid, and had many of her features. He had the freckles around his nose, the wide and dark brown eyes, and he even had dark-ish skin. He saw a few pictures of Tony, who, after taking a good look at him, almost resembled Duncan... except in a more business-like way. He wasn't sure if she had liked Tony because he looked like Duncan, and he surely wasn't going to bring that up.

Courtney told him stories about some of the pictures, from random trips to the park to birthdays to seeing other family members. Duncan could tell she adored her son, and that he truly meant everything to her. She was beaming, her eyes were bright, and she seemed to have this glow around her. He could see the "old" Courtney, the one who he was most likely still in love with. He didn't realize how much he missed her, especially as happy as she was, until then. A few other things popped into Duncan's head as she was explaining the pictures, and he tried to not let the thoughts bother him too much.

Suddenly, a knock was heard. They peered up and saw a nurse in the doorway. "Courtney, your family's here," she said.

Courtney beamed even more and said, "Thank you!" The nurse nodded and stepped out of the room. Courtney grinned at Duncan and asked, "Do you want to actually meet Mikey?"

He chuckled at her nickname for her son. "Sure," he said, placing the pictures into her box and standing up. She stood up and walked out the door. Duncan smiled, enjoying seeing her so happy.

They stepped out of the elevator, and he swore he heard Courtney squeal. He stayed about ten feet behind her as she reached her son and ex-husband. She could hear Mike cry out, "MOMMY!" as they hugged each other. She also hugged her ex-husband, but she was also hugging Mike and while it seemed friendly, it also seemed a bit forced.

Courtney held Mike close to her, and listened intently to every word that her son said. She had a smile on her face, and it was genuine and honest.

Duncan sat down in a chair near the back of the room and leaned back, shutting his eyes. He hadn't slept well the night before, and figured he could get a quick bit of shut eye right there... assuming Courtney was going to say good-bye to him, anyway.

He was right.

A few moments later, he could hear footsteps approaching him. He kept his eyes shut and didn't move.

"Mommy, I t'ink he's as'eep," Mike quietly said.

"I don't think he's asleep, sweetie," Courtney muttered, nudging his foot with hers.

"Don't kick him!" Mike whispered.

Duncan chuckled, not able to play along with his own joke anymore. Mike's charms were too hard to resist, much like those of his own Mother's. "I'm awake, I'm awake," he muttered.

"Are you okay?" Mike frantically asked.

Duncan smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay."

Courtney rolled her eyes, smirking. "Mike, this is Duncan... he was on that TV show that I was on when I was younger."

"Hi!" Mike said, smiling happily.

Duncan couldn't help but smile back. "Hey there, Mike. Your Mommy talks about you a lot."

"Really?" Mike asked, happily. Duncan nodded. Mike beamed. "Mommy talks about you, too!"

"Really?" Duncan asked, smirking.

Courtney smirked, blushing slightly. "Just a little bit..." She looked at Mike and said, "We should head out, baby. You'll see Duncan later."

Mike nodded and waved at Duncan. "Bye-bye, Dunkie!"

Courtney giggled and winked at Duncan. "Bye, Dunkie."

Duncan chuckled, a faint pink spreading across his cheeks. "Bye..." He smirked before saying, "Bye, Princess."

Courtney lazily waved at him, her back turned to him as she was walking off. He couldn't help but chuckle when he heard Mike say, "Mommy! He call you 'Princess'!"


	4. Meeting and Seeing the Children

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Total Drama series or anything else copyrighted._

**A/N: One of the big chapters you've been waiting for... there are major changes in this one. Though it's mentioned only at the end, previous readers may notice the big change I've made! I only did it because I had ideas for later chapters, and though changing this small (yet big) aspect of the story would just make it better. I hope you all enjoy it!**

Duncan rubbed his head as he stepped outside. He just got done with his first "session" with his Doctor, Dr. Smith. They talked about how he ended up there, something he still wasn't comfortable talking about. She also tried to get him to talk about Courtney, but he only responded with:

"Courtney and I dated years ago. We met on that stupid TV show. We haven't talked to each other in five years. That's all I'm telling you for now."

He didn't mean to sound curt or rude, but he wasn't about to get into details about his and Courtney's relationship with someone he just met the previous day. In truth, Courtney still meant a lot to him, and to hear about her life both upset him and made him happy. She seemed so happy with Mike, and seeing her happy made him happy. She didn't seem happy with other parts of her life (with a shotgun marriage and a divorce and working like crazy, he didn't think anyone would like that), and seeing her unhappy face talking about those things made his heart wrench.

He looked around, running a hand over his head and through the small amount of hair he had. He looked around, and was surprised to find Courtney laying on a... hammock? He never expected to see a hammock at this place. Then again, lots of things were happening that he never expected. He shrugged and stepped forward, walking towards her.

Mike was laying on her, and her arm was lightly wrapped around him. Her other arm was resting next to her. They both seemed to be fast asleep, but as he stepped closer, he saw her slowly open her eyes. She laid her eyes on him and softly smiled. "Hey," she quietly said.

He gave her a tiny smile and quietly said, "Sorry if I woke you up." He bent down next to the hammock and sat down on the ground.

She shook her head, still smiling. "Nah. Mike's asleep, though. Don't worry about being too loud - he's a heavy, heavy sleeper."

He chuckled. "So how was lunch?"

She shrugged. "It was alright. Tony was off on his phone half the time, but it was nice being with Mike... He notices everything. He's quite the talker, too." She softly laughed before continuing, "He couldn't stop talking about how you called me 'Princess'."

He smirked. "Didn't see you objecting to it."

"I had a child in my arms," she teased, also smirking. She shrugged, staring up at the trees and sky above her. "I'm not excited about him leaving, though," she quietly admitted.

He nodded. He saw how close they were, and he figured Mike's departure tonight was going to be real sad. "Where's Tony at?"

Courtney snorted. "Somewhere working... maybe." She sighed, shutting her eyes.

Duncan didn't say anything. Instead, he reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it lightly. He felt her squeeze his hand in return, and that brought a soft smile to his face. They resumed talking for a while, while Mike was still fast asleep. Within that hour, a nurse came out and walked over to them. "Your husband said he will return soon."

Duncan saw Courtney's smile falter. "Oh... okay. Thank you." The nurse nodded and walked off. Courtney turned to Duncan and said, "He's early... for once."

"You two don't really get along, do you?"

She shrugged, sitting up slightly. "It's not that we don't get along... we've just got a different set of priorities. He does what's best for him. I..." She sighed. "I don't know. I try to do what's best for Mike. I try to provide him with a good life, and I really do love him."

He nodded. "Only an idiot would say you don't love him."

A smile formed on her face. "I'm surprised you're so... I don't know..." She shrugged. "You seem like you like children... or at least tolerate them."

He pursed his lips. "Well, Princess, let's just say I've got one hell of a story to tell you."

"Language," she muttered before looking down at her son, who was slowly waking up.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, baby?" she softly asked, helping him sit up.

Suddenly, Mike looked over and sleepily said, "Hi, Dunkie!"

Duncan chuckled. He would normally hate that nickname, but couldn't help but smile when he heard Mike say it. "Hey, buddy."

"When's Daddy coming?" Mike suddenly asked, looking up at his Mom.

Courtney frowned slightly before saying, "He'll be here in about 30 minutes."

Mike frowned. "But... I t'ought he was coming later!"

"I thought he was coming later, too," Courtney said. "Maybe Daddy wants to do something with you tonight." She knew that was a lie, but she didn't even know why her ex-husband was picking up their son so early in the day.

"But... I wanna stay here and p'ay with you, Mommy," Mike sadly said, his chin starting to quiver.

Courtney bent down and kissed Mike's forehead. "Sweetie, we've still got time to play. And Duncan's here, you can play with him, too."

Duncan nodded, though the scene in front of him was bringing back awful, painful memories. He sucked it up, trying not to act too upset, and said, "Yeah, Mike. What do you want to do?"

Mike thought for a moment, his face still showing signs of sadness. "Um... I wanna do piggyback rides around here."

"Well, c'mon," Duncan said, turning around. "Hop onto my back, kiddo."

Mike grinned and literally hopped onto Duncan's back. Courtney heard Duncan grunt, so she asked, "Are you alright, Duncan?"

Duncan stood up and grinned at Courtney. "I'm dandy, babe."

She rolled her eyes, smirking. "Have fun, Dunkie and Mikey." Duncan rolled his eyes, smirking, before running off. She smiled at her son's squeals of excitement as he hung onto Duncan, who was running around the courtyard. Duncan jumped around a bit and would slow down a bit occasionally, causing Mike to squeal and or scream with delight, "Faster!"

A few minutes later, Duncan jogged back over to Courtney and sat on the ground. Mike giggled and exclaimed, "That was fun! Let's do it again!"

"Again?" Duncan breathlessly asked, grinning. "Lemme catch my breath, buddy. I'm so out of shape."

Courtney giggled. "Says the guy who was bragging about his muscles yesterday."

Duncan chuckled. "Well, babe, if you really want to check them out..."

"So, Mike, is there anything else you want to do?" Courtney asked her son, quickly cutting off Duncan. Mike walked over to Courtney and climbed onto her lap. He wrapped his arms around her neck. She hugged her son and softly asked, "What's wrong?"

"I wanna stay here with you, Mommy," Mike quietly said, the sadness in his voice clear.

Courtney sighed and hugged her son closer to her. She kissed the top of his head and said, "You can't stay here, baby."

"Why not?" he exclaimed.

"This is a place for grown-ups," she said.

"But... but... I can p'etend to be a grown-up!" Mike suggested.

Courtney smiled. "I wish you could stay here, too." She looked at him in the eyes and said, "If you're good for Daddy, you can come and see me again real soon."

"Really?" Mike softly asked.

Courtney nodded. "Really. I promise."

Mike smiled and nodded and continued to hug Courtney. She picked him up and stood up, walking back into the building. "C'mon, let's go see if Daddy's here..."

Duncan watched them walk off before also going back inside. Instead of going into the lobby where they were, he headed back up to his own room. Once he was in there, he leaned against the door and sighed, taking a few breaths before going into his own closet.

Like Courtney, he had a small box of pictures. He didn't feel like putting these in an album, so he just kept them in this tiny box. He opened the box and sighed, shakily picking up the first one. It was a newspaper clipping, with the headline reading:

"_YOUNG WOMAN DIES IN PILE-UP; SEVERELY INJURED CHILD BARELY SURVIVES_"

That was his daughter who was in that accident. Him and the mother of his daughter were sort of together, and true, he was upset when she died from the accident, but was devastated when he learned his daughter was involved as well.

He felt the tears spring to his eyes as he picked up more pictures. Just like Mike was basically a boy version of Courtney, his daughter, Sophie, looked just like him - pale skin, teal eyes, and black hair. He gave his all to make sure she had a good life, and found himself spoiling her all the time. She was almost three when the accident happened, which happened a little over a year ago. True, she didn't die, but she was in a coma for at least a week, which was the longest period of time Duncan had ever been through.

He sighed and put the box down. He stood up and grabbed a towel before heading into the bathroom. He figured taking a very hot shower might take his mind off of things... some things, anyway.

* * *

Courtney wiped away the remainder of her tears as she stepped out of the elevator. She headed down to Duncan's room, hoping talking to him about, well, anything, may help get her mind off of what just happened.

Mike was kicking, screaming, and crying as Tony picked him up. Tony wasn't that great of a help - he thought sternly telling his son to stop would help, but that only made things worse. Courtney tried to soothingly talk to him, and that eventually helped. Courtney talked to Tony about the promise she made, and he said he would try to bring Mike out in the next couple of weekends. Courtney hoped he would follow through, because if he didn't, they would both be dealing with someone who remembers promises more than anything.

She knocked on Duncan's door and started to say something when it slowly slid open. Furrowing her eyebrows together, she stepped forward into his room. She didn't hear anything or see him anywhere in the room. She looked around in his room and noticed a tiny box with some pictures laying on his bed. She stepped forward and picked up a few, carefully looking at them.

They were each of a girl, and in one picture, the girl was with Duncan. She immediately noticed the resemblance in the two of them - same skin, hair, and eye color. While looking at that picture, she kept wondering if Duncan had a kid... and if he did, why didn't he tell her? Was he involved in some awful divorce (or separation) and he couldn't see her? He knew she had Mike... was he ashamed of telling her about his child? Was there something wrong with her?

"Courtney?"


	5. Slowly Opening Up

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Total Drama series or anything else copyrighted._

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! I'm glad previous readers picked up on the big change. That was pretty much the only change, haha. But like I said... small part of the chapter, but huge change! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well!**_  
_

Duncan stepped out of the shower and loosely wrapped a towel around his waist. The shower had calmed him down slightly, but an endless amount of thoughts was still overtaking him. Maybe he would take up Dr. Smith's offer on an extra bit of counseling. Goodness knows he needed to talk to someone about all of this.

He didn't realize that moment would happen so soon.

Well, he just didn't expect to find Courtney sitting on his bed, looking through pictures of his daughter.

"Courtney?"

Her head snapped towards him, her eyes wide. Just by looking at her, she looked shocked and confused. Neither said anything for at least a minute, for they were each incredibly shocked. Finally, he spoke up and asked, "What are you doing?"

Courtney bit her lip, her facial expression almost frightened. Her expression resembled a deer in the headlights - and based on her saying nothing, she was certainly acting that way, too.

He sighed, obviously not getting any kind of immediate answer from her. He slowly walked over to her and grabbed the pictures and placed them back into the box. He walked over to his closet and placed them back in there, telling her, "I didn't expect you to become someone to peeked into other people's lives."

"I... I didn't mean to," she softly said.

Finally, he was getting her to talk. "Well, that's what it looks like."

"I was just looking for you," she murmured. "So I came in here, and well... it was all just sitting here..."

"That didn't give you the right to look through my stuff," he said, sharply turning to her. "Those were quite personal."

"Well, excuse me!" she snapped. "When did it become a crime to have a kid? Were you ever planning on telling me? You knew about Mike-"

"Since yesterday!" he interjected. "That's the first time I knew about him!"

"Well, it's not like you were trying to reach back into my life!" she said.

"You were quick to leave mine!" he snapped in defense. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Get out, Courtney."

She glared at him, standing up. "Fine." She walked over to him and softly, but angrily, said, "I was beginning to trust you again, Duncan, but I guess if you can't trust me, then I can't trust you." With that, she left his room, leaving him to stand there, thinking about their argument.

Later that night, after eating dinner alone (and not finding Courtney anywhere during that time), he decided to head over to his ex-girlfriend's room, hoping to patch things up with her. He hated that they had an argument just a little over 24 hours after they meet up for the first time in years.

He reached her room and gently knocked on it. "Courtney?"

He could hear some footsteps come closer to the door. Instead of it opening, he heard her ask from behind it, "What?"

"Can we talk?" he softly asked. "I did tell you earlier I have one hell of a story to tell you."

He could tell she was thinking by the lack of response she was giving him. "Hold on," she finally said. Within that minute, the door re-opened. Her wet hair was placed into a sloppy bun, and she was wearing pajamas, sneakers, and that same jacket she always seemed to wear. "Let's go outside."

He nodded and together, they silently headed outside. It was a bit uncomfortable, as the thick tension still hung around them. They got outside and sat down on a bench swing.

"Shit," she murmured, rubbing her arms.

"Cold?" he asked, looking over at her.

She shrugged. "A little bit. This bench is freezing, though."

He nodded, sighing. It was now or never, and he knew he had to tell her before she got even madder at him... if she was still even mad at him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo. It was one of the last ones him and Sophie took together. It was from at least three months prior, and his Mom had taken the picture of them. He was holding her after a day at the park, and the two of them were a bit dirty, but despite that, they had huge grins on their faces. He still had his buzz-cut, and her wavy, medium-length hair was pulled into two ponytails. He extended his arm, showing Courtney the picture.

Courtney stared at the picture, taking it from his hand. "She looks familiar..."

He quickly turned his head towards her, his eyebrows furrowed together. "What do you mean?"

Courtney pursed her lips, her face thoughtful. "It's like... I've seen her before somewhere... maybe on TV..."

_Oh shit_, Duncan thought to himself, dreading the moment Courtney suddenly remember where she saw his daughter from. He desperately wanted that moment to never come, but it slowly dawned on Courtney. "Oh, that's right, she was in that awful crash over a year ago..." She gasped, her eyes wide. "_No_." It hit her.

He shakily sighed and nodded, slouching over. "Yep. Sophie is my daughter."

"O-oh, God, Duncan... I..." She shook her head, frantically looking down at the picture. "Really?"

He nodded, staring down at the ground. He turned to her as he heard a strangled sob escape her mouth. He could see the tears resting on the edges of her eyes. "Please don't cry," he softly said, already feeling the tears form in his eyes. "She didn't die or anything. It took a while for her to fully heal, but she pulled through. She's a trooper."

"I...I just can't imagine almost loosing a child," she softly said, wiping away the stray tears. "I... I don't know what I'd do if I lost Mike..."

"I think you would love Sophie," he said, quickly changing the subject. "She's the sweetest, cutest child in the entire world."

"You sound like me," she muttered, smiling softly. When he turned to her with a confused look on his face, she said, "People tell me that I say that quite a bit when I'm describing Mike." She squeezed his hand before asking, "Can I ask you something?" When he nodded, she asked, "Were you married?"

He shook his head. "No. I, uhh..." He chuckled. "I had a roommate. Ashley. We were both horny and just, well... the whole 'friends with benefits' thing suited us fine." He rolled his eyes, smirking as he let out a low chuckle. "Next thing I know is that she's pregnant. I was a bit skeptical at first, but..." He shrugged. "You can tell how much she looked like me."

She nodded. "Why didn't you get married?"

"We were never together," he said, shrugging once more. "But we continued living together, just to make things easier for Sophie..."

Courtney continued staring at the picture. "I almost didn't get married," she murmured.

"Why not?" he quietly asked.

She shrugged, leaning back into the bench. "I was confused. My hormones made me believe I was in love with him, and somehow, my brain was telling me to stick with him, but then when I really got to thinking..." She sighed. "I thought of you, y'know."

"Really?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

She nodded. "This was about..." She paused for a moment. "It was around six months after we broke up. I still had your number, and I almost called you... everyday, I almost called you, just to..." She shrugged. "I don't even know."

He nodded. "I had your number for about a year. I still had your e-mail address, too. About three years ago, I e-mailed you, with a picture of Sophie..." He let out a bitter chuckle. "You had changed your e-mail by then."

She frowned, looking away. "I'm sorry."

He sat there for a few moments, silent, before asking, "For what?"

"Everything," she sighed, sounding exasperated. "Our break-up, not communicating with you afterwards, everything bad that happened in our relationship..."

"Not all of it was your fault," he murmured.

She nodded, letting out a sigh. "I know, but I felt like a lot of it was."

He reached over and started rubbing her back. "Babe, you've always been so stressed out..." he murmured, noticing how tense her back was. She sighed and slouched over, resting her head in her hands. Duncan smirked and said, "You shouldn't slouch over like that. It may hurt you in the long run."

She cracked a smile, glancing over at him. "I see you took my advice," she said, suddenly realizing how straight he was sitting up. She used to nag him about his posture, and that he needed to stand up straight or else he would, like he just told her, face serious problems later in life.

He shrugged, still smirking. "Something like that." He then looked over at her and said, "So... I wanna ask you something..."

"Go on," she muttered, sitting up and glancing over at him.

He sighed before saying, "So, I know you and Bridgette haven't talked in years..."

Courtney bit her lip, her face paling. "Mmhmm..."

"Why not?" he asked. He was still in semi-regular contact with some of the Total Drama cast, but mostly Geoff and Bridgette, and that was mostly because them and Courtney were really good friends. One day, they just suddenly weren't friends anymore. Bridgette wouldn't talk about it, and Geoff wanted to, but he was afraid Bridgette would get mad at him if he told Duncan.

Courtney paused for a few moments. "I, uhh... I said a few things I shouldn't have and well..." She shrugged. "We haven't talked since."

"She was pretty upset," Duncan murmured.

"You still talk to them?" Courtney asked. Her voice was almost hopeful, longing.

He nodded. "Sometimes. More over the phone than anything. I'm not sure if you remember this, but she was pregnant when we broke up. She had their kid... uhh... maybe four months after we broke up? Something like that..."

"Really?" Courtney asked, her voice still the same.

He nodded. "Yeah. Still aren't married... I think... Who knows with them." He softly smiled at Courtney and said, "You'd love their daughter. I didn't think I liked kids until they had theirs. Well, I do like my cousin, Jake, too, but I guess he doesn't count anymore since he's 13..."

She nodded and stood up. She didn't want to talk about that anymore. "It's getting really cold, and my hair being wet doesn't help." He nodded and stood up. Together, they walked inside. He glanced around and saw the phones in the corner. He was about to say something about wanting to make a call when he felt her arms wrap around him. He was a bit shocked at first, but hugged her back. He rubbed her back momentarily before she looked up at him and said, "Thanks, Duncan."

"For what?"

She shrugged. "Listening. You were always good at that."

He softly smiled. "Anytime, Princess. Now, I need to make a phone call..."

She sheepishly nodded and stepped back a bit. "Sorry for basically jumping on you..."

He shrugged. "Whatever. I missed your frisky side."

She rolled her eyes. "Goodnight, Duncan," she said before turning around and walking off.

"'Night," he murmured, watching her walk off. He then turned and walked over to the telephones. He really needed to call someone, not for his sake, but for Courtney's.


	6. Old Friends ReUnite

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Total Drama series or anything else copyrighted._

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I will note, that this the last currently finished chapter. I have most of the next one written up, but due to work and other things, it may be another few days before the next chapter is posted. Hopefully sooner, but I'm slowly working on my other two stories as well. **

Duncan grinned as he saw Courtney sleepily walk into the cafeteria. "'Morning, babe," he said as she sat down.

She sleepily smiled as she sat down. "Good morning, Duncan," she sleepily murmured.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

She shrugged before saying, "I've slept better. Did you sleep well?"

He nodded. "Like a rock."

She rolled her eyes, smirking. "You're up early."

He shrugged. "Kinda. I had an early appointment with the Doctor. She's cool. Got some stuff off my chest, gonna do some class thing later, yadda yadda yadda..."

She quietly laughed. "I see. So who did you call last night?"

"Just a friend," he said, shrugging with boredom. "They'll be coming by later."

"They?" Courtney asked.

Once again, he shrugged. "May be one person, may be two."

She nodded before yawning. She then stood up and muttered, "I'm going to get something. You want anything?"

He shook his head. "Nah." She nodded before walking off. He watched her for a moment before looking at the clock. His guest was supposed to be arriving within the next twenty minutes... hopefully. He raised an eyebrow at Courtney's food selection as she sat down - a few pieces of fruit and coffee. He couldn't help but want to help her get better after she told him what she did. "Courtney."

"_I'm tired_," she crossly muttered, already knowing what he was thinking about. She sighed before telling him, "Look, I really can't eat that much. I'm working on it. Okay?"

He nodded a little bit, not going to push her any further. "So what are you doing today?"

She paused for a moment, chewing on a piece of kiwi. "I've got a class to attend tonight at six, but that's it. Why?"

"Just asking. You asked earlier, so..." Suddenly, one of the workers came over and told Duncan, "You have a visitor, Mr. Evans."

Duncan smiled at the worker and said, "Thanks." She nodded and walked off. He turned to Courtney and said, "Whenever you get done, you should meet my friend...s..." He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before hopping up and walking off.

Courtney bit her lip slightly, her cheeks turning red. She watched Duncan walk off before he disappeared. She couldn't see him or his friend. She finished her food and drunk the rest of her coffee before getting up. She stretched slightly before placing her plate and glass away and walking out of the cafeteria. She took her time walking to the lobby. She was thinking about a lot of things, most that had happened the day (and night) before.

As she walked into the lobby, she saw Duncan talking to this girl... well, she saw the back of them, anyway. She stayed near the door of the room, watching them, wondering who the girl was... She felt a knot at the bottom of her stomach, as if something was about to happen. The only thing she could notice about the girl was that she had blonde hair. Suddenly, the girl turned towards Duncan, and Courtney gasped.

It was Bridgette.

Apparently she gasped a little too loudly, for both Duncan and Bridgette turned towards her. Duncan looked a little surprised, as well as Bridgette, who also had a few mixture of emotions spread across her face.

"Well, well, look who decided to join us," Duncan said, sitting up. He reached down and helped Bridgette stand up... she was a bit more pregnant than Courtney thought.

"Bridge?" Courtney asked, and right at the same time as Bridgette asked, "Court?"

Both girls nervously laughed, still shocked and stunned to see each other.

"Oh, look at the time..." Duncan muttered. "I need to be off somewhere... I'll leave you two to chat for a while." He patted Bridgette's back before winking at Courtney and walked off.

Courtney paled slightly - he set this up. She knew he had been talking to Bridgette and Geoff, but never figured he would try to get them to talk again... especially not this soon. She suddenly felt the urge to say something, just like she did last night, so she said, "Bridge, I'm really sorry, I just..."

Bridgette softly smiled and patted Courtney's back. She wanted to be angry, she wanted to yell at the woman, but for some reason, she didn't. She felt more sympathy for Courtney. "How about we go outside and talk?"

Courtney nodded and, together, they walked outside. They sat down on a bench and sat there for a few moments in silence. "You look nice," Courtney softly said. Bridgette was wearing a white jacket over a blue tank top and long, white skirt.

Bridgette smiled. "Thanks. I, unfortunately, grew out of my regular shorts and jeans a month ago... I've been meaning to buy some more, but I really like how the skirts I own feel... I see you're wearing the jacket I gave you years ago."

Courtney shook her head. "This isn't that jacket... it's up in my room somewhere. Tony gave this to me."

"Tony?" Bridgette asked, confused.

Courtney nervously bit her lip. "Tony is my ex-husband," she quietly admitted.

Bridgette's eyes widened slightly. She remained silent for a few moments before saying, "How long were you married?"

"About two years," Courtney explained. "We tried working it out for Mike, but..."

"Mike?"

Courtney looked down. "Mike's my son. He's four years old."

Bridgette smiled. "Aww, that's so sweet. I bet he's a cutie."

Courtney softly smiled. "Yeah... Duncan was telling me how cute your daughter is."

Bridgette softly laughed, grabbing her bag and rummaging through it. "Yeah, she's pretty cute... aah, I meant to give this to Duncan earlier, it's so cute..." She handed the picture to Courtney.

Courtney gingerly held the photo in her hands. She instantly grinned. "What's her name?"

"Claire," Bridgette said, also grinning.

Courtney continued smiling. Claire was wearing a cute little playdress that day, but was covered in dirt. She had platinum blonde hair and bright, sparkling blue eyes with a light tan covering her body. "She is adorable," she said. "How old is she?"

"Four and a half," Bridgette said, nodding.

Courtney smiled and glanced at the other girl was in the picture. Claire was standing up next to this girl, who looked a bit younger than her. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly as the wheels turned in her head. "That's Sophie," she murmured.

Bridgette's eyes widened momentarily before letting out a sigh, her face returning to it's calm stature. "That's right, Duncan told me he told you about her..."

Courtney nodded. "Yeah, last night. Here, I think I have a picture of Mikey..." She reached into her pocket and felt two pictures. She looked at each picture; one was of Mike, and the other was the one Duncan showed her the previous night, with him and Sophie. She glanced at each picture with Sophie and showed the one with Duncan to Bridgette. "Were these taken on the same day?"

Bridgette glanced over at the picture. She thought about it for a minute before nodding. "Yeah." She suddenly laughed, as if the memories were suddenly popping into her head. "They were! Sophie never minded getting dirty. His Mom was a bit upset because Sophie and Duncan were getting messy, and Sophie was wearing this nice, new dress..."

Courtney nodded before handing her the picture of Mike. "That's Mike."

Bridgette squealed, beaming. "He is adorable!" she gushed.

Courtney laughed. "Thanks."

"Oh, wow..." Bridgette said, leaning back and smiling. "Look at us, Court. We're parents."

Courtney shrugged, also leaning back. "Yeah, I guess..."

Bridgette looked over at Courtney, her hands resting on her stomach. "Duncan told me about your shotgun marriage, y'know," she softly murmured.

Courtney felt her hands clench together, angry at Duncan. She was upset that he was revealing this information to Bridgette when he had no right to do so. She loosened up slightly, now feeling upset - the reason she had an argument with Bridgette was because of Bridgette's pregnancy. Courtney had just broken up with Duncan and was basically lost, and hearing that her best friend was pregnant... she should've been happy, but she was more upset that Bridgette wasn't as responsible as she should've been. She regretted that argument later, and never really figured out the complete reason she lashed out the way she did, but never got the courage to call her what she thought was her ex-best friend. "I bet you think I'm a hypocrite, then," she murmured.

Bridgette shrugged. "Just a little bit." She paused for a moment, organizing her thoughts, before quietly asking, "You didn't mean any of that, did you?"

"No!" Courtney frantically said, looking over at Bridgette. "I swear I didn't, Bridge."

Bridgette nodded, softly smiling. She could tell how honest Courtney was being. "I can tell," she murmured. "How about we just forget about all of this?"

"That'll be hard," Courtney murmured.

"Well, we can certainly try," Bridgette pressed, smiling. "I really want us to be friends again."

Courtney nodded, smiling. Tears were brimming the edges of her eyes. If someone had told her a year prior to this moment that she'd reconcile with both Duncan and Bridgette in a rehabilitation center, she wouldn't have believed them. This was a surreal moment, something that she would have never guessed would happen ever. "I do, too."

* * *

Courtney smiled, sitting down in a chair in the lobby. Bridgette had just left. They spent most of their time together catching up, talking about their children, marriages, and whatever else that they wanted to talk about.

"So... how was your day...?"

Courtney smirked as Duncan sat across from her. She just stared at him, causing him to eye her before smirking. "You're an ass," she stated simply.

He continued to smirk. "I had to tell her something to get her out here," he said, knowing exactly why she was calling him names.

She rolled her eyes. She wasn't going to press the issue any further... at least, not say anything negative about it. "I want to say thank you, though. If you hadn't called her..."

"You two wouldn't be best friends again, you two would still be pining over the friendship you once had, _blah blah blah_," he said.

She glared at him. "And to think I was actually joking about calling you an ass..."

"Babe, we both already know you weren't."

"Not anymore."


	7. Never Forget

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Total Drama series or anything else copyrighted._

**A/N: After months and months... I'm back writing this story! I couldn't finish this chapter at first and got caught up with my other stories... I re-read this the other day and suddenly re-found an interest in writing this. I will finish this! Enjoy!**

Detox is and will always be a bitch.

Duncan had seen stories, both in movies and television and even online, about the horrors of detoxification. He never thought about it, though, since he figured he would never end up in a rehab center. He was warned about the symptoms and possible effects of detox: depression, anxiety, mood swings, sweats, chills, irritability, and even relapsing...

As he sat on his bathroom floor, his head resting on the toilet lid, he realized he couldn't relapse at this facility. Besides any rubbing alcohol or alcohol pads, there was no alcohol he could get his hands on. True, he could get his sister to bring him his car, and then he could go out... but he couldn't do that.

"Duncan?"

He wearily glanced over at the doorway. Courtney was cautiously standing there, worry written all over her face. "Yeah?" he muttered.

She pursed her lips, squatting down next to him. She reached over and rubbed his arm. He had been experiencing the side-effects of the detoxing for the past two days, and she had seen him slowly unravel. She had been through the process herself - not from the anorexia, but from the self-harm. She had gone crazy the first couple of weeks. She had gotten so crazy that they instructed her to wear gloves for a few days - it had helped. She wasn't able to scratch or cut herself.

"How are you feeling?" she softly asked.

"Not good," he groggily muttered, shutting his eyes. "I feel like shit."

"It'll be over soon," she softly murmured, sitting on the ground next to him and beginning to softly rub his back.

"You're so good to me..." he whispered softly.

She softly smiled. "I went through the same thing you're going through. I had someone help me go through it, so... I figured I'd help you out."

He lightly smiled, his eyes remaining shut. "Mike's so lucky to have you."

She bitterly laughed. "I'm far from perfect, Duncan."

"You're probably a better parent than I am."

Now she was puzzled. She saw the way he talked about his daughter and saw the utter and complete love for his child. "I don't understand," she finally said.

He sighed, opening his eyes slightly. "I love my daughter, I really do," he softly said. "I..." He sighed once more. "I fuck up everything, Courtney. I haven't lived with my daughter in three months."

Now that made Courtney even more confused. She knew his daughter's Mom was deceased, but who else was able to take care of their daughter? Maybe their parents? "Have you seen her at all since?"

He nodded, slowly sitting up. He propped his elbow up against the toilet lid and rested his head on his hand. "I see her at least twice a week."

"Who's taking care of her?"

"Ma and Dad. Usually. She see's Ashley's parents every two to three weeks..."

Courtney assumed Ashley was Sophie's Mom. She wasn't too surprised that his parents were the ones taking care of Sophie. Well, sure, she was surprised someone else was taking care of his daughter, but the love his parents, especially his Mom, showed their kids was incredible, and she always knew they would do anything for their kids.

"I forgot her birthday," Duncan suddenly blurted out. He let out a groan, one that sounded incredibly pained. "I forgot my own child's birthday, Courtney. How the fuck does anyone do that?"

She had no idea what to say to that. How does anyone forget their child's birthday? She couldn't imagine ever forgetting Mike's birthday. "What happened?" she softly asked.

He let out a sigh. "She was spending the night at her other grandparents house. They were going to take her out to lunch and then bring her to my parents, where there would be cake and we would all have dinner. I never showed up."

"Were you out drinking?"

He nodded while shrugging. "Part of the time. I was doing some other stuff, too." He shut his eyes, almost tiredly. Explaining it wore him out emotionally, and detoxing and explaining this did not go well together at all. "That whole day was a haze to me, but I remember waking up the next day with a God-awful headache and a voicemail from my Ma that would send shivers down anyone's back..."

"Sounds like she was mad."

"She was beyond mad. She was furious. She was extremely fucking pissed." He let out a long sigh. "They're both police officers, my parents... well, you know that already. Anyways, they knew I'd been having a bit of a drinking spell, but didn't realize it had gotten that bad. So... three months ago, after her birthday..." He remained silent for a moment, gathering up the correct words to say. "They said to me, 'This is your last weekend with her. Spend your time with her wisely.'"

By the time he finished, her hands were covering her mouth, shocked. "Th-they took away your daughter?"

He nodded. "They did a little bit of investigating and found out that wasn't the first time I had 'blown off' my daughter. It's not like I had cancelled day plans with her just go to screw some chicks or get wasted or whatever. Nah. I, uh... I waited until she fell asleep. Had a friend watch her."

"What if your daughter needed you during the night?" Courtney asked, suddenly getting angry.

"Then my friend would call me," Duncan slowly explained, sensing Courtney's anger. He sighed before saying, "Let's just drop this."

She wanted to yell at him. She wanted to tell him it was wrong to leave his daughter during the middle of the night like that. She wanted to ask if his daughter had ever noticed his absence. But, she didn't want to get into an argument with him. They were slowly opening up to each other, and while they still had a lot of unresolved issues from their break-up, she didn't want to say something that would suddenly make him stop talking to her.

"You said your daughter's birthday was three months ago, right?"

Duncan nodded. "Yeah. May 2nd."

Courtney couldn't move. Her eyes widened. Their children's birthdays were on the same day. "Mike was born May 2nd," she slowly said, still shocked.

Duncan smirked. "Shut up."

"I'm serious! Mike was born four years ago on May 2nd."

Now it was Duncan's turn to be shocked. His eyebrows raised as he simply asked, "Really?"

She nodded. "How old is your daughter?"

His smirk re-grew, but wider than the last one. "Four."

"How were our children born on the same day?" Courtney exclaimed.

"Sshh," Duncan murmured, grimacing. "Please try not to be too loud."

"Since you said that so nicely..." Courtney murmured before softly continuing, "Where was your daughter born at?"

"Toronto Central."

"Why in Toronto?" Courtney asked, though she was even more shocked that their children were born in the same hospital on the same day.

"Ashley's from there. Her parents really wanted to have their child born there, I guess." He rolled his eyes. "We lived in Hamilton, and you know how long the drive is. I don't know why they wanted us to drive all the way out there... So, where was Big Mike born?"

"Toronto."

"Where, sweetheart?"

She remained silent for a moment before quietly saying, "Toronto Central."

Duncan started laughing. "Fate really wanted us back together, eh?"

"It's not like we saw each other," Courtney murmured.

Duncan shrugged, smirking, before a sudden memory popped into his mind. His smirk slowly fell. "Well..."

"You saw me and didn't say anything?" Courtney quickly asked, an eyebrow raised.

Duncan shook his head, passively shaking his hand at her. "If I had actually known it was you, I probably would've said something."

"What, you weren't sure if it was me or not?"

"I glanced over and, if this was you, had already gone past me," Duncan explained. "It was... early afternoon, the day after our kids were born. I was walking down the hallway and turned around and thought you were strolling past me in a wheelchair, holding your child."

Courtney blinked a couple of times, her eyes focused elsewhere as she tried to picture the memory. She suddenly frowned, looking up at Duncan. "You were by the vending machines, weren't you?"

He nodded, a solemn look on his face. "We totally saw each other, Princess."

"Tony was pushing me down the hallway, because I had gotten permission to leave," she murmured. "It was on the maternity floor, and I looked up and saw... well, I guess I can say, I saw you standing by the machines. I saw you from the back, but... I didn't know it was you, but that person's clothes and just... appearance resembled yours so much."

"I didn't think it was you because I didn't think you would have a child so soon," he softly said.

"I thought the exact same thing," she softly said.

Duncan let out a sigh before saying, "If you tell me Mike was born at 1:45PM, I'll really think I'm hallucinating."

Courtney laughed. "Well, our children don't have that in common. Mike was born at 12:08AM."

"Oh, good, not even a relatively close time..."

She nodded. A question popped up into her head suddenly, about seeing his daughter. She wasn't sure whether she should bring it up or not, for it seemed painful for him to talk about his daughter. But, she did recently see Mike after weeks of not seeing him, so she went ahead and asked him, "Are you going to see Sophie anytime soon?"

Duncan made a low humming noise, shutting his eyes. He remained in deep thought for a few moments before responding, "Tomorrow, maybe."

"So soon?"

"I called Ma last night, just to check-in with everyone and everything... and she said she would like to bring Sophie down tomorrow."

"I hope this doesn't offend you, but I'm worried about you continuing to have these effects while they're here," Courtney softly said.

He shrugged, opening his eyes. He gave her a small smile as he said, "Thank you for the concern, but I talked to Dr. Smith about it. She said it's fine, and that if I feel, like... any signs or whatever, that she'd give me these pills. I forgot the name, and I don't think I should trust any pill they give me here, but..." He shrugged. "As long as I don't lash out around my daughter, everything should be fine."

"You've been a lot better than some of these other patients I see around here," she softly said. "Some patients go mad. They scream and really lash out at people. You just... You sit around. Well, you just lay around. You've snapped at a couple of people, but that's it."

He nodded. "Dr. Smith mentioned that. It's probably good that I haven't torn off anybody's heads."

She nodded, smiling at him. "Are you up for a walk outside?"

"Let me make a phone call first, and then we can walk outside," Duncan muttered, groaning as he slowly stood up.

Courtney quickly stood up and stood beside him. She grabbed his arm and wrapped an arm around his back as she helped him stand up.

"I'm so glad you're here," he murmured. "If you weren't here, I wouldn't have gotten up. I would've just laid in that bathroom all day and all night..."

"I have the feeling you would have crawled to your bed at some point," she said, looking over at him.

He chuckled, leaning against the back of the elevator. "You may be right," he quietly said, looking over at her and giving her a soft smile.

She softly smiled and looked down. She heard him chuckle as the elevator doors opened. It was crazy how he made her feel after all these years. One simple, cute, smile drove her absolutely insane. She trotted behind him as he slowly made his way towards the payphones. "While you make your call, I'm going to make a call as well."

"Don't take too long," he teased, winking at her.

"Tell your Mom I said 'hello'."

He stopped in his tracks, raising an eyebrow. "How'd you know I was going to call her?"

She shrugged. "It was an instinct. I bring up your Mom and daughter, and you suddenly need to make a call... It reminded me I needed to make a call to my son as well."

Duncan slowly nodded, smiling. "You've always been the smart one."

Courtney just shrugged. She wore a plain expression on her face. Her eyes, though, were filled with pain and sorrow. Instead of commenting to his remark, she told him, "Don't take too long yourself, either."

He chuckled and sat down at a phone. He was glad they were sitting across the room from each other. As much as liked being around Courtney, he was glad to have a little privacy while talking to his family. He dialed the number to his Mom's house and waited the few seconds before she had picked up.

"_Hello_?"

"Hey, Ma."

"_Oh, my baby! How are you doing today_?"

"Still detoxing."

"_Oh, my goodness... Are you feeling any better today_?"

"Not really. Dr. Smith's still pleased I haven't lashed out like other patients..."

"_Well, that's good_."

"I guess. But, uhh... I'm just wondering if you and Soph are still visiting tomorrow..."

"_Is it alright with your Doctor_?"

"It's definitely fine."

"_Well, then of course we'll visit_."

He grinned and looked over at Courtney. His smile faltered, but stayed genuine, as he saw her happy face talking into the phone. "You'll never guess who's here, Ma," he softly said.

His Mom made a humming noise before saying, "_I have no idea, darling_..."

"Courtney."

His Mom gasped. "_Really_?"

"Yep," he said, continuing to smile.

"_The Courtney_?"

"I don't know any other Courtney's..."

"_As in, your Princess_-"

"Yes, Ma. My ex-girlfriend."

"_Oh, wow_..." He smirked when she uttered another, "_Wow_..."

"I know, right."

"_Why is she there_?"

"I'd, uh..." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'd rather not discuss that."

"_Understandable. Maybe her and I can sit down and talk while you and Sophie spend some time together_..."

"Maybe..."

"_Speaking of, here she is right now. Do you want to talk to her_?"

"Definitely." Duncan's heart started beating even quicker as he heard his Ma talk to his daughter.

"_Hi, Daddy_," came her sleepy response.

"Hey, Sophie baby," he quietly said, his smile never escaping his face. "Did you have a good day with Grammy today?"

"_I did_."

"What did you two do?"

He loved listening to his daughter explain things. She was a soft-spoken child and to him, her soft, melodic voice was one of the most beautiful things he ever heard. Of course, she was a child, so she had her silly, loud moments, and those brought many smiles to his face as well.

"_I miss you, Daddy_."

He bit his lip. Every time she said that to him, he felt his heart shatter even more. He let out a shudder before quietly saying, "I miss you, too, baby. I can't wait to see you."

"_Me, too, Daddy. I love you_."

"I love you, too, baby. Goodnight."

"_Night, Daddy_."

He tightly held onto the phone as the dial tone emerged. Sophie tended to end the phone call once someone said "good-bye" to her. He slowly placed the phone back onto the holder, but rested his head forward. He felt a few tears drop from his eyes, but he didn't care. The sudden realization of him leaving his daughter, of him betraying her like this, was hitting him, and he felt like utter shit. He felt a hand slowly rub his back, but didn't shrug the person off. He knew who was doing that, and would recognize her touch anywhere.

"I've never seen you cry before."

He let out a chuckle, but kept his eyes closed. He bitterly told Courtney, "I never cry."

"There's a first time for everything, right?"

Duncan chuckled. He quickly wiped his cheeks before turning to Courtney. "Ready to head out?" he asked, wanting to quickly leave the subject of him crying. Together, they stood up and slowly headed out. He turned to his ex-girlfriend and asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

Courtney nodded, continuing to stare ahead. "Sure."

"Why do you always wear that jacket?"

It was a question that he had been meaning to ask her for about a week. He furrowed his eyebrows when she stopped. The smile on her face fell, and her eyes fell downcast. She quietly asked, "Do you not recognize this jacket?"

True, he had seen her wear it everyday, but he had to admit, it seemed eerily familiar. He quietly said, "No."

He could've sworn he saw tears in her eyes when she looked up at him and quietly asked, "_Really_?"

He slowly nodded, a confused look continuing to lay on his face. "I'm dead serious, Court."

"I wore this jacket when you proposed to me. You said you'd _never_ forget the moment when I said 'yes'."


	8. Never Forgotten

_A/N: I do not own the Total Drama series or anything else copyrighted._

"Marry me."

Neither Duncan nor Courtney could ever forget that moment, no matter how much they wanted to forget it. It was a perfect moment, no one could deny it. He had stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her in a tight, yet secure, embrace. They were high on the mountain, looking at the town of Hamilton below them. They stood there in silence for many minutes before he quietly said those two words to her. It took her a moment to comprehend those words, and she was so surprised when she turned to him. He kept the smirk on his face, but inside he was freaking out at her silence. She finally whispered out that much-wanted answer of "_yes_".

He would never forget that moment, but the day and night before and after that moment were a blur to him. He did not remember what she was wearing, for he was solely focused on the area before him and her face. Those moments were fresh in his mind, and would pop up from time to time, but that was before the accident. If even a still from that memory would pop into his head, a beer would already be in his hand, ready to infiltrate his mind and rid of any and all of the pain.

As Courtney stood in front of him, tears threatening to pour from her eyes, the memory, still fresh as ever, popped into his head. After a moment of silence, Duncan quietly said, "I never forgot about that, Courtney."

"You bought this jacket just for me," Courtney quietly said. "It was that morning, right after we parked downtown. You said you wanted to buy something for me, and I said I liked this jacket. You said I looked so beautiful..." She looked down, shallow breaths emerging from her mouth.

Duncan couldn't help but remain silent as his ex-girlfriend stood before him, tears falling from her eyes.

"I don't know why I have such a particular attachment to this jacket," she said, finally looking up at him once more. "Especially after our break-up. You constantly said I looked beautiful when wearing this." She paused for a few moments before quietly asking, "Were you lying to me, Duncan?"

"_No_," Duncan firmly said. "I wouldn't lie about that."

She remained silent, though her eyes grew icy cold. After a minute of firmly staring at him, she said, "But you would lie about other things."

"It was once."

"You have no proof."

"Neither do you."

"Yes, you only slept with another woman once, but there were plenty of other moments with plenty other women."

Oh, how he wish he could be drinking right now. The main reason that they broke-up was because of him sleeping with another woman, only two months after their engagement. He wasn't drunk when he did it, but he wasn't sober. She knew what he was doing when he did it, and she was not happy at all.

Interrupting his thoughts, she said, "I just want to know why, Duncan."

Narrowing his eyes at her, he said, "That's in the past, Courtney."

"You never gave me a reason, Duncan. You owe me that."

"I don't owe you anything."

"You owe me that, Duncan! I just want to know why you slept with her! Why you cheated on me and broke our engagement and relationship!"

"It wasn't all my fault, you know!"

"I know I'm also to blame, Duncan! I know I'm bossy, I know that I'm mean and competitive and just... I know that I'm alone and that I'll probably never have a successful relationship, ever! I have joint custody of my son, but when I do have him, I barely see him because I'm at work all the time. I bury my thoughts by overworking myself, thus pushing away everybody in my life. At night, I take care of my son when I'm not at work. At night, when I'm not at work and not with my son, I stay home alone. I don't go out on dates because it's easy to put myself down and tell myself that I'm not good enough for anyone. Do you remember telling me that, Duncan? That I'm too much of a bitch to be with anyone and that I'll always be alone and that I should have been grateful that you had gone out with me for as long as you had."

He didn't remember that. He didn't remember most of what he said during their fight. Everything he said was in the heat of the moment, and was almost instantly forgotten. He could remember how genuinely angry he was, though. He quietly said, "I don't remember."

"Well, I remember. Every single fucking word that we both said."

"I'm sorry."

Though her angry face slightly softened, she still said, "It's too late for apologies. You can't change what you did or said."

Almost defeated he said, "I don't know what to do."

"Be grateful that I'm even talking to you. If we had come across each other at any other place, I would have ignored you. But, because you're here and we're, unfortunately, involved in the reasons why we're here-"

"You are not why I'm here."

"You're here because of a problem called alcoholism, something you've developed since we started dating but got progressively worse after we dated."

"Sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but you're not part of the reason I drank."

"Oh, really?" she spat. "You told me you would go out at night to get away from me, and that you would drink so you wouldn't have to think about me. That's also the same reason you slept with that woman."

"That was back then, and this problem is different."

"You've been suffering with alcoholism for years _and you know it_!"

"You are _not_ the reason I started drinking!"

"I _am_ the reason you became an alcoholic! To get away from _me_!"

"And, what, am I the reason for your cutting?"

"You helped me realize what a pathetic person I am, Duncan. I'm the reason I cut myself."

Duncan took a deep breath. He didn't want to argue with her, but wasn't sure if she really wanted to be arguing with him. He knew he didn't want to stand outside with her and argue all day and night long, though. He quietly said, "We need to go to counseling. Together."

Courtney stared at him, silent. After a minute, she said to him, "I agree."

* * *

"Hey, Dr. Smith..."

Dr. Smith looked over at Duncan, smirking slightly. She recognized his tone of voice, and knew immediately that he wanted something. She said to him, "Hey, Duncan..."

"I have a question."

"I should have an answer."

He smirked, always intrigued by her quick responses. He asked her, "Is there couples counseling here?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow before asking, "Why do you ask?"

"Courtney and I need to go to counseling together."

Dr. Smith knew about Courtney and Duncan's previous relationship. She never had any sessions with Courtney and only saw her at group sessions, but did recognize the woman. When Duncan arrived and saw him and Courtney together, the Doctor immediately remembered the two were once in a relationship. She never brought it up to Duncan in any of their sessions, though, and had only heard vague bits and pieces of their relationship.

She pursed her lips before saying, "I'd rather not discuss this in the hallway here. Isn't your appointment soon, anyway?"

"In an hour, I think..."

"Well, I don't have anything planned for the next hour. Let's go ahead and bump up your appointment to right now, okay?"

Duncan nodded and followed his counselor into her office. He laid down on the couch across from her chair, literally sprawling out on the couch. He muttered, "I've got a lot to talk about today, Doc."

Dr. Smith nodded, crossing her legs. "What would you like to talk about?"

"I cheated on Courtney."

She furrowed her eyebrows, not completely understanding what he meant. "Are you two back together?"

"Oh, God, no. I don't think she would give us another chance."

"Why do you say that?"

"She told me today that she would have ignored me if she had seen me anywhere else but here."

Dr. Smith nodded, grabbing her clipboard and jotting a few notes down before returning to his original statement. "So, you said you cheated on her..."

"Yeah, five years ago. That's why we broke up."

"Will you tell me why you cheated on her?"

Duncan remained silent for a minute, gathering his thoughts. He had never discussed this with anyone else before, but knew he could trust the Doctor. He quietly said, "We got engaged two months before we split. I thought I really wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. But, then I really realized that I was making a life-long decision. I loved her..." He sighed. "I loved her so, so much, but it scared me, making that big of a commitment. She was so happy, and she spent so much time looking at wedding stuff... I snapped one day, when she got onto me about not planning anything. It got progressively worse after that. So, one day after an argument... I went out, had a few drinks with some guy friends, then slept with this stripper."

"Did you regret it?"

"I regretted it once she left with her stuff from our apartment. I..." He let out a sigh, shutting his eyes. "I remember coming back one day and everything was gone. Well, all her stuff, anyway. She left her engagement ring on the counter, without a note or anything. That's when I started freaking out, after I saw the ring. I ran all over the apartment, making sure she wasn't pranking me and that she'd give us one final chance..."

"Had you two broken up before?"

"Sort of. The first year of us dating wasn't really dating, I guess. We spoke every now and then. She broke up with me for a day right before Total Drama Action ended, but..." He shrugged, opening his eyes once more. "We got back together, and were together for six more years without any break-ups or whatever."

"Did you ever tell her you were scared?"

"No." He let out a quiet sigh before muttering, "I didn't."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I really don't remember much about the week that we broke up. It's like I was a different person, letting out all of my anger and frustration out on Courtney..."

"Why were you angry and frustrated?"

"Again, I don't know."

Dr. Smith quietly hummed to herself, jotting down a few notes. It was as if Duncan's memory was blocking out a lot of what happened, which intrigued her very much.

"I still love her, y'know."

Dr. Smith looked up and over at Duncan. She asked, "Courtney?" When Duncan nodded, she said, "It's normal to always love your real first love."

"She was my only love, really," he quietly said, looking away. He let out another sigh and shut his eyes once more. He quietly said, "I wonder if we'll ever be good friends again..."

"The two of you have been talking since your arrival here, correct?"

Duncan nodded once more, muttering, "Yup..."

"Do you think you two are friends right now?"

He made a humming noise before quietly saying, "Kind of... We're definitely acquaintances, and we've talked to each other some about our personal lives... I dunno if we're good friends, though."

Dr. Smith nodded. She said to him, "Well, to answer your question from a while ago, we do have couples counseling here. We do have couples who come in who want to get better together. I can have you two meet up with one of the counselors, one who specializes in 'broken' relationships."

"You know Courtney and I aren't together, right?"

"I do remember you telling me that. I'm not going to send you to a counselor who sees happy couples. You two aren't together, but have quite the past, and it seems like you two have some resolving to do. Now, let's talk about your progress in your other sessions..."

* * *

"Hey, Court..."

Pursing her lips slightly, Courtney glanced over at Duncan as he sat down next to her. She wasn't too keen on seeing or talking to him. She really wanted to be alone for the rest of the night after the fight. He sounded nervous, though, and curiousity was getting the best of her. She quietly said, "Hey, Duncan."

"So, I talked to Dr. Smith a while ago..."

She nodded, now staring ahead of her. She asked, "What did you two talk about?"

"I tried talking to her about our break-up. I... I don't remember a lot of what happened, Court. And it sucks, because you seem to remember every single little thing that happened while, all I know is that I was angry and... I remember some things I said, but not everything."

"What are you getting to?" she quickly asked. She didn't want to talk about their break-up again, not twice in one day.

"I asked about couples counseling."

She let out a bitter laugh and said, "Duncan, we don't go out anymore."

"I know, and I told Dr. Smith this. She set us up for an appointment two nights from now."

"Why are we going to couples counseling?" she asked, turning to Duncan.

"We need to talk," he simply told her, also looking at her. He gently smiled at her and said, "I missed you, Court. I want to be your friend again. I... I hate what happened all those years ago."

"Would you take it back if you could?" she quietly asked, tears brimming along the edges of her eyes.

He remained silent for a moment, pursing his lips ever so lightly. After a moment, he whispered, "I don't know."

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews :) Please keep them up!**


	9. Avoiding

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Total Drama series or anything else copyrighted._

"Bridge, I don't know what to do..."

"_I don't either, Court. Maybe you should avoid him until your session_?"

Courtney let out a sigh, feeling as she ran a hand through her hair. "I see him all the time," she murmured into the phone. "That, and his daughter is visiting tomorrow. I would love to meet her, and I'm sure his Mom will want to see me..."

"_Do you think he'll let you visit his Mom or Sophie_?"

"I... I hope so," Courtney quietly said. "I hope he isn't too mad at me..."

"_I don't think he's mad. I've overheard a few of his conversations with Geoff about... you know... and he really doesn't seem to remember much. His memory seems to remember and forget different things at different times, though. It's probably a good thing he's at a cente_r..."

"I just..." She sniffed, quickly wiping away a tear. "It still eats me up, what he said that day. And what he did. I want to forgive him, I really do, but... I don't know, Bridge."

"_I guess it's a good thing you two are going to counseling_."

"I guess." She sighed and looked up at the clock. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped. "I didn't realize it was so late! I'm so sorry, Bridgette!"

Bridgette laughed before responding, "_Really, it's okay. I should go, though. We both need to get our rest_."

"That we do. Thanks for letting me call you, Bridge."

"_You can call anytime, you know that_."

Courtney softly smiled, tears filling her eyes. She was so glad, so happy, to be friends with Bridgette again. She softly said, "I'll talk to you later."

"_Bye, girl_."

She reached forward and hung up the phone, but instead of getting up and going back to her room, she continued to sit there. Her mind was blank, but felt heavy. Her heart and stomach also felt heavy, due to the swell of emotions flowing around. She slowly stood up and slowly made her way back towards her room. When she got on there, she just walked over to the bed and laid down on it.

The next day would be a crazy one, she already knew it.

* * *

Duncan rolled over and looked at his clock. It was 6:47AM. His Ma and Sophie would be arriving sometime between eight and ten, depending on how long it took his daughter to get ready. He had a difficult time sleeping, for his mind was plagued with so many thoughts, mostly surrounding his ex-girlfriend, Courtney. He didn't know why he could barely remember the one argument that really made them split up. It was probably the alcohol that slowly caused him to forget, but maybe it was his own mind causing all this forgetfulness.

He slowly stood up. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat there for a minute. He let out a sigh, running a hand through the tiny amount of hair he had. Another event of the day popped into his head, and he quickly sprung out of bed, tossing off his sleeping clothes. He had an appointment with his Doctor at seven! He rushed out of his room and took the stairs up to the next level, trying to avoid any contact with his ex.

He knocked on the door as soon as he reached Dr. Smith's office. He gave her a small smile when she opened the door. He said, "I'm right on time, huh?"

Dr. Smith laughed, smiling. "That you are. You're usually early; I almost thought you wouldn't show up."

"I just woke up, like... fifteen minutes ago," Duncan admitted, stepping into her office.

"Today is Saturday, and it is pretty early." She grabbed her clipboard and sat down across from her patient, who sat down on the couch. She asked him, "Are you excited about seeing your daughter today?"

He softly smiled, nodding. "Sophie... Though I've messed up so much since she was born, there are times where I want to be so much better than what I am. Like today... well, like my stay here. I want to be a better person and do better things, just so... so she can be proud of me..."

"Do you think she isn't proud of you?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I know she loves me, and she's always telling strangers I'm her Daddy..."

"Are you thinking about the future and how she may not be proud of you then? It sounds like to me right now she absolutely adores you and is seemingly proud of you being her Father..."

He slowly nodded before shrugging once more. "I guess..."

"Does Sophie ever talk about her Mom?"

"Not too much, actually. She knows Ashley's dead, but sometimes she'll ask about her..."

"What questions does she ask?"

"After she woke up after her coma, she would continuously ask why and how Ashley had died. I used to avoid that answer, because..." He took a deep breath before saying, "I was still scared by the fact that she had just awoken from a coma. I eventually told her, and she hasn't asked since. Now she just asks what kind of stuff her Mommy did, what her Mommy was like..." He let out another sigh and quietly said, "I wish I knew more about Ashley, though. I mean, sure, I knew quite a bit, because living together and having a child... we kinda grew closer. We learned a bit about each other, but..." He paused before continuing, "Nobody expected her to die when she did, though."

"Do you think you would be here today if she were still alive?"

After a moment, he replied, "Maybe. I've had a drinking problem for a while, though during Sophie's first year, I hardly drank."

"Why is that?"

"I was focused on her and providing her with a good first year of life."

Dr. Smith nodded, jotting down a few more notes. Trying to lighten the mood slightly, she asked, "So, what do you have planned with your daughter today?"

"Well, the two of us and Ma are going out to lunch, and we're going around town a bit... I dunno what else. I know Soph and I are probably going to hang out here for a little bit as well..."

"Are you going to have Sophie meet Courtney?"

Duncan remained quiet. He wasn't sure if Courtney even wanted to meet Sophie at this point, after their argument yesterday. He quietly said, "We'll see if Courtney wants to..." He glanced at the Doctor and after seeing her confused look, he quickly said, "Look, Court and I got into a bit of a heated argument yesterday. That's why I asked you about the whole counseling thing. But, I'd love for Court to meet Sophie. I really would. I just..." He shrugged. "If I see her, I see her. If I don't... Maybe next time."

After the session, which ended a few minutes before eight, Duncan walked downstairs and into the lobby. He instantly smiled upon seeing his daughter and Ma. It was as if she noticed his presence, for Sophie slowly turned around. He could see her eyes light up and a smile instantly form on her face. He held up a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. She instantly nodded and started tip-toeing towards him. He couldn't keep the smile off his face; in fact, his smile grew bigger. When his daughter reached him, he instantly scooped her up and held her in his arms.

Both father and daughter held onto each other tightly. No words could escape Duncan's mouth as he held his daughter. Sophie lifted up her head, happily smiling at her Father. She whispered, "I missed you, Daddy."

"I missed you, baby," he whispered, kissing her forehead. He looked over at where his Ma was standing, and instantly smirked when the older woman began to freak out upon Sophie not being by her side. He let out a few chuckles when she finally turned their way.

"Duncan..."

"Ma..." he teased, continuing to smirk as the older woman walked their way. His smirk turned into a gentle smile as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He rested his head on her shoulder, letting out a contented sigh. He quietly said, "It's good to see you, Ma."

"It's good to see you, sweetie," she said, rubbing his back in a comforting manner. "How are you feeling today?"

"Pretty good, actually."

"Good, good..." Suzie smiled at the younger child and asked, "Are you excited to see your Daddy?"

"Mmhmm," Sophie hummed, nodding her head.

"Where's Courtney at?" Suzie softly questioned, looking around.

Duncan also looked around. He wasn't surprised his Ma has asked that question, for she always adored Courtney. He quietly said, "I dunno..."

"Are you two...okay?"

He let out a sigh, re-adjusting his daughter's position on his hip. He quietly explained, "Ma, we haven't been 'okay' in years. That's why we stopped dating, because we weren't 'okay'."

"Have you two been trying to reconcile while here?"

"Sort of." He shrugged. "We've been talking everyday, but yesterday... We had a big fight. I set us an appointment for counseling."

Suzie nodded. She softly smiled and reached forward, rubbing Duncan's arm. She opened her mouth and was about to say something when something else caught her attention. Duncan furrowed his eyebrows and turned around. He pursed his lips as he saw Courtney walk across the lobby towards the dining room. He gathered all of his courage and called out, "Hey, Court!"

Courtney immediately stopped, frozen in her tracks temporarily. She slowly looked over and was surprised to see his Mom and daughter standing there. She couldn't help but softly smile at the sight of Duncan and his daughter. She gave them a small wave and decided to walk over to the three people.

"Oh, my gosh, Courtney!" Suzie exclaimed, instantly engulfing the woman in a hug.

Courtney softly laughed, softly wrapping her arms around the older woman. "Hello, Mrs. Evans."

"Oh, sweetie," Suzie softly said, softly patting Courtney's back. "You know that you can always call me Suzie. Heck, you can even still call me 'Mom' if you feel like it."

Courtney softly laughed, but couldn't help but notice the sinking feeling in her stomach. Her and Duncan's Ma had such a strong relationship back when she was dating him, but she hadn't talked to the older woman since she broke up with her son. She let out a sigh and softly said, "I'm sorry about not... not talking to you after mine and Duncan's break-up..."

"Hey," Suzie softly said, causing Courtney to step back and really look at her face. "You don't need to apologize. You two really had a horrible break-up." She paused for a moment before another small smile broke out. "You know, I always thought you were that perfect one for Duncan. All these other women he dated..."

"He dated a lot?"

Suzie pursed her lips. "He didn't date too many women. He would bring over to our house a few women here and there, and I know of a few more he just... you know... But I'm really glad he never dated Ashley..."

Suzie's now nervous face confused Courtney. It then hit her - Mrs. Evans thought Courtney didn't know about Ashley. She softly smiled and said, "I know about Ashley."

"Oh, good, good... Oh! So you've seen pictures of Sophie then?"

Courtney's smile grew as she nodded. "I have."

"She is so precious, that child... So sweet and polite and soft-spoken, she is just an angel..."

Courtney softly laughed and admitted, "You sound just like me when I'm talking about my son..."

"Y-you have a son?"

Courtney nodded, reaching into her pocket. She brought out another picture, one from her last visit with Mike, and handed it to Suzie. She said, "Yep, Mike. He's also four."

Suzie gasped, a huge smile on her face. "He is so cute!" she gushed. She smiled at Courtney and said, "He looks just like you." She let out a laugh, shaking her head. She quietly said, "It's a shame you and Duncan didn't have any children..."

Courtney's smile dropped slightly. She remained in her spot, now slightly uncomfortable. She had heard the expression "It's a shame you and Duncan..." many times before, and she never liked hearing it. She let out a quiet sigh and muttered, "I know..."

Suzie frowned and reached forward, gently grabbing onto Courtney's arm. "I'm sorry," she softly said. "Duncan never likes hearing that stuff, either."

"Are we going, Ma?" Duncan asked, walking back over to the two of them. He had stepped away for a moment, letting the two women talk. He spent a few minutes quietly talking to his daughter, telling her about Courtney. Sophie was very curious about the woman he had called over. He looked down at his daughter, who was curiously staring at Courtney. She looked up and softly said, "She's really pretty, Daddy."

Duncan smiled, nodding. "That she is," he agreed.

"We'll talk later, okay?" Suzie softly said, continuing to hold onto Courtney's arm.

Courtney slowly nodded, a small smile falling on her face. "Okay."

"Do you want to come with us?" Duncan asked.

Courtney stared at her ex-boyfriend, looking him in the eyes. She slowly shook her head. Though her eyes were pained, she still gave him a small smile. She softly said, "I have some stuff I have to do here. I'll see you later."

**A/N: Yeah... long story short, my computer died. I have everything on an external hard drive, so all I had to do was finish this!...once I thought of an ending. I already have the next chapter planned, and some of it is already written. This chapter just sets up what's coming next!**


	10. Secrets Unveiled

_A/N: I do not own Total Drama or anything else copyrighted._

"When did you two start dating?"

Both Courtney and Duncan stared at Dr. Field, frozen in their spots. After a moments silence, Courtney let out a sigh and quietly said, "June 10, 2007."

"Twelve years, huh?" Dr. Field asked. When the other two adults nodded, she said, "Wow... That would have been an impressive mark." When neither would remark, she asked, "How were your anniversaries? Were they different, or was there something you always did?"

"We always had sex," Duncan murmured, earning a harsh glare from Courtney.

"We usually had a nice dinner out," Courtney murmured, still giving Duncan an intense glare. "We always ate somewhere different."

"What was your best anniversary?"

Duncan looked over at Courtney. Her glare had softened, as now she was wearing a small smile. He smiled in return, giving her a bigger one than she was giving him, and quietly said, "Our fifth anniversary."

"We were finally allowed to drink in America, so we went to New York City," Courtney quietly continued, her smile increasing.

"We got so drunk that night," Duncan said, chuckling softly.

Dr. Field smiled softly. She had heard from the other Doctor that they weren't on good terms at the moment, nor have they been for a few years, but was happy to see them seemingly happy over reminiscing about certain events. She said to them, "It seems like that trip was a wonderful time for the two of you."

Duncan and Courtney continued to stare at each other, but their smiles softly faded. It was a good trip, it was a wonderful trip. Unfortunately, bad thoughts plagued into their minds. They both quietly said, "Yeah..."

Noticing the changed mood, the Doctor asked them, "So, I have something for the two of you to do during this session. I hope you will both be able to complete this." When the two adults turned to face her, she said to them, "I want you to two reveal a secret to each other. Something you never told the other while you two were once dating. Who would like to go first?"

Both Duncan and Courtney sat there, frozen. Their eyes were wide and fearful. Both knew exactly what they were going to tell the other person. Duncan finally let out a sigh and said, "I will." He turned to Court, feeling as nervous as she looked. He quietly said, "Court... Courtney... What were you told about that day?"

Courtney knew exactly what day he was talking about. "I, uh... I was told, right as it was happening, that you were having sex with a stripper," she quietly said. "I was told you had been drinking a lot and that you two had been flirting the whole time you were there..."

"I did drink a lot, and we did flirt a lot, but..." He shut his eyes, not wanting to look at her. "I never had sex with her."

That was the first time he had ever recited those words. A week prior, he had told her "you have no proof", but before, during their final arguments, he had openly proclaimed having sex with that stripper. They almost had sex, and were definitely having fun with foreplay, but nothing more had happened.

"B-but... but Brian said-"

"_Brian_?" Duncan repeated, his eyes widening and filling with anger. "My cousin, Brian?"

Courtney bit her lip, slowly nodding. She had always assumed Duncan knew Brian had told her. They never discussed where she heard the news from, though. "Yeah," she breathed out. "He, uh... He said he tried stopping you, but you kept walking away from them. H-he called me, and told me that you were having sex with her..."

Duncan nodded, keeping his mouth shut. His cousin had been the one to rat him out. Of course, there was nothing to tell, but walking away from a group of guys with a stripper to a hidden room probably would make anyone believe they were about to have sex. He said to her, "She was a friend from high school. We wanted to catch up, but couldn't in front of everybody. I promise-"

"Oh, _don't_ even say 'I promise'," she snapped, interrupting him.

He let out a sigh. "Courtney-"

"No, Duncan. For years, _for five whole years_, I believed that you had sex with that woman. Here we are, five years later, and you're now telling me you didn't? Why didn't you try to convince me back then? I would have believed you more then than now! You could have told me the same story then and everything would have been okay."

"I was scared!"

"Of what?" she asked, giving him a dumbfounded look.

"Of everything," he said, giving her a pleading look. "We were getting married. Married! Something in my body snapped around then. I don't know what, and I can hardly remember that time, but..."

"I know you were scared," she said, her voice surprisingly soft. "You said that to me. Do you also remember what you said when you got home that day?"

Duncan thought long and hard about that. When he got home was the start of their long argument that caused their break-up. He still couldn't remember what he had told her a few days prior about him calling her a bitch and some other things. Right as he really began to think about it, the Doctor quietly said, "Why don't we discuss this another time. I didn't mean for that confession to bring up such an argument."

Dr. Field turned to Courtney and said, "If you'd rather not discuss-"

"No, Duncan needs to know this."

Duncan looked over at Courtney, curiosity written in his eyes. He needed to know what she about to say?

Courtney sighed, turning back towards Duncan. She seemed to void any trace of emotion on her face before quietly saying, "I had a miscarriage one month after we split."

He just stared at her. His mind was blank. She was pregnant? Suddenly he asked, "Court, why would you-"

"We weren't speaking then. We didn't talk until now, really. And I would have told you while we were together, but the day I planned on telling you... You came home and shut yourself in our room. You snapped at me when I tried asking you what was wrong. And after that, most of the time we spent together was filled with arguing."

"I'm sorry," he quietly said. He truly felt sorry, apologetic. He was also upset. He was frowning at her by this point. He softly asked, "How far along were you?"

"Four months."

He furrowed his eyebrows. He then asked, "How far along were you when you were going to tell me?"

"Two months. We broke up a month later." She let out a sigh and asked, "If I tried calling you a month after we broke up, would you have picked up?"

He thought about her question. He tried thinking about his life back then, how he felt and what kind of things he was going through. All he could remember was partying constantly, including drinking, making out and having sex with many girls. He quietly said, "I don't know. Probably not. I was... I don't remember being mad at you, but I certainly didn't want to think about you."

She nodded. She didn't look surprised or uspet. "I honestly didn't want to talk to you either," she said before letting out another sigh. "I'm glad I finally got to tell you, though."

* * *

Duncan shot up, his whole body sweating profusely. Continuing to take shaky breaths, he ran a hand through his hair. The dream, that horrifying nightmare, was so crystal clear in his head. He wanted to forget the images he saw, the horrifying things he said and did to Courtney.

He shot out of bed, not even caring that he was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts. He walked upstairs to Courtney's room and knocked on her door. He kept his head rested on his head, which held onto the side of the doorway. He took a few deep breaths in and out, trying to rid of the adrenaline that continued to pump through his body.

He watched her open the door, confusion written all over her face. She softly asked, "Duncan?"

"I shouldn't have asked you to marry me," he bluntly said. He continued, "Everything bad from our relationship came back and haunted me. There were so many bad things that happened... not as much as good things, but all the bad things consumed my mind. I... I basically blamed you. I was just too hung up on my own damn pride to realize this and actually do something about it. I shouldn't have hurt you like I did."

This was all so shocking to hear. She was so shocked to hear something like an apology coming from him. She softly asked, "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Did I hurt you? Physically? Around the time we broke up?"

She slowly shook her head, her eyebrows furrowing. "No... Why?"

"I had this dream... I knew it was a replay of everything I said and did. In the dream, I... I actually hit you."

Her eyes widened. She breathed out, "No, Duncan... You never hit me. Not once in our relationship were you physical in a harmful way."

He let out a sigh, nodding. "I'm glad I didn't hurt you then," he softly said.

She softly smiled at him. "You still didn't answer my question," she softly said.

He shrugged, giving her a small smile. "You deserve an answer, now that I sort of remember what went through my head back then."

She nodded, now fully smiling at him. She quietly said, "Thank you."

They stared at each other, smiling. It was the first time in five years that they had been at peace with each other. There was still a bit of turmoil, but they were no longer angry or upset at each other. Suddenly, Duncan leaned forward and captured Courtney's lips in his. She was shocked at first, but quickly melted into his kiss. She returned the kiss as they wrapped their arms around one another. They slowly walked back into her room and shut the door, not once breaking their liplock.

**A/N: Don't think things are suddenly good between them! It's better, but there's more drama to come! And thank you all for the reviews. Really! Keep them up!**


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